A Day in the Life of an Executive Assistant Intern

Find out how Sophie’s Executive Assistant Internship is going with Saari Ltd.

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The Big Music Project has part-funded several music industry internships and we’re aiming to inspire and create incredible opportunities for young people from across the country who want to get into the music business. We’re sitting down with each of our interns one by one to find out how they’re getting on! Here’s how Sophie’s internship at Saari Ltd is going!

How long have you been in your role?

Just over a month.

What’s the first thing you do when you get into the office?

I check my e-mails and our artist’s social media accounts to see if they have posted anything overnight and to check the performance of yesterday’s posts. I then begin prioritising tasks for the day and planning ahead.

Talk us through your day-to-day tasks.

I update artist social media daily, whilst also thinking of creative ways to make our roster stand out online. I also manage contacts and press coverage blog databases and diaries, which helps to keep track of all press coverage our artists get. The job is so varied, each day is different and never boring.

What’s your favourite thing you do each day?

Having creative discussions for each artist’s social media is always fun. It’s interesting researching artists on a similar level and analysing where they’re getting it right, where they’re getting it wrong and comparing their strategy to ours. I get loads of opportunity at Saari to share my ideas, suggest copy and have creative input, which is encouraging and it’s always great to see a post idea you suggested going over well with fans.

Tell us about projects you’ve worked on and what you liked and didn’t like about it?

We’re currently working on creating content to share for The Temperance Movement’s US tour. They have an intense touring schedule and it’s tricky to stay on top of things sometimes when you’re sharing images for every show, tour blogs for every city as well as other related content such as playlists. The time difference is sometimes hard in relaying messages and we have to be quick on our toes to notice content the band have posted themselves so we can replicate it across all social channels. It’s really rewarding reading the band’s tour blogs as they are great at generating interesting, personable and well-writen content. It makes the job a lot easier.

What kind of challenges do you face day-to-day?

The quick turn-around of tasks is very challenging. Some posts are time sensitive which means a lot of calender notifications are implemented to aid us in planning ahead. Proof-reading posts is also a challenge, especially when dealing with high-profile artists with thousands of followers.

What have you learnt about the world of work?

I’ve done a lot of internships in music but I think this placement is the first time that I’ve felt like a valued, respected member of the team rather than just “the intern”. It’s the furthest I’ve ever had to commute as well and, although it is tiring, I feel pretty lucky to be working somewhere I enjoy. It definitely makes all the long days worth it. It’s great to be working for a company where I never check the clock and don’t mind staying late.

What advice would you give to other people looking to apply for internships?

Don’t give up or doubt your ability. There’s just not enough opportunities for the amount of qualified people out there so sometimes creating your own opportunity is the key to success. Networking is also crucial to your career, be nice to everyone and don’t beat yourself up over your past mistakes.

What do you want to do next?

Anything music related that will challenge me. I’m really enjoying my time at Saari and still feel that I could learn a lot from them.

In an ideal world, where will you be in five years time?

Still in the music industry, still learning, still as excited by it all. Wherever I am, I would like to be managing a band on the side. The industry is changing at such a rapid pace, new opportunites are opening up constantly so who knows what the future holds.